1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to painting apparatus and particularly to a paint strainer assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Liquid paints are made from a variety of ingredients including liquid paint thinner, color pigment, thickening agents and various chemicals for controlling the rate of drying. A number of solid particle ingredients are suspended within the liquid paint. After time, the particles tend to join together and form an aggregate of particles, i.e., lumps. Foreign particles may also be introduced into the liquid paint at the factory, retail store or job-site.
A painter using a paint brush normally attempts to remove any lumps from the paint brush prior to application of the paint to a surface. However, some lumps are not easily seen and removed from the brush and are consequently applied to the surface along with the liquid paint. In this situation, a painter is normally compelled to remove the lumps from the painted surface and re-brush the surface to even the paint coat. The lump removing and re-brushing process requires a painter to spend excess time and effort at a particular job site, and causes a painter much aggravation.
Paint sprayers have become common tools for the paint industry. A paint sprayer typically includes an air compressor, a paint container, a spray gun and a plurality of interconnecting hoses. The spray gun has a nozzle with relatively small apertures. The spray gun apertures are easily clogged with lumps and particulate matter contained within the liquid paint. A clogged gun requires a painter to stop applying paint to a surface and disassemble, clean and reassemble the gun. A painter, of course, prefers that paint not contain lumps.
Traditionally, painters extract lumps from paint by straining the paint through a fine mesh strainer bag. The strainer bag is typically placed over an empty paint container and the paint is poured into the strainer bag. Some strainer bags have an elasticized upper edge which can be fitted over the upper edge of an empty round paint container to hold the bag in place. Paint filters through the fine mesh of the bag and falls into the container. The paint clumps are retained in the strainer bag. The strainer bag is typically thrown away after one use. This straining process is relatively messy and time consuming. As a result, some painters do not strain their paint before use.
An improved paint strainer device described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,470 to Calvillo and Lykins, is disposable and relatively clean to use. The '470 patent device, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference, has a foldable upwardly extending closed wall support whose upper and lower edges define upper and lower openings respectively. A passageway interconnects the openings. A fine mesh strainer bag used with the '470 patent device has a straight upper edge defining an upper opening. The upper edge of the strainer bag as described in the '470 patent is permanently attached to the upper edge of the wall support. The strainer bag has a closed lower portion that is disposed within the passageway. The wall support is releasably attached along its lower edge to a paint container.
Liquid paint is poured through the upper opening of the '470 patent device and into the closed lower portion of the straining bag. The paint filters through the fine mesh of the strainer bag and falls into the paint container located beneath. The fine mesh prevents lumps from passing with the liquid paint and thus the lumps are extracted from the liquid paint. The '470 patent device may be folded upon itself for the purpose of compressing the remaining liquid paint through the stainer bag.
While the '470 patent device has those advantages recited above, it also has disadvantages. First, attachment of the strainer bag to the support wall during manufacturer is time consuming and costly. Second, the straight upper edge of the strainer bag causes the upper portion of the bag to bunch and gather near the top edge of the support wall thereby providing an opportunity for a painter working nearby to snag the bunched material and cause a paint spillage accident. Third, the mesh strainer bag is permanently attached to the wall support. A permanently attached strainer bag is a problem when straining a large volume of paint or when straining paint having a high concentration of lumps. The fine mesh net of the strainer bag may get clogged before the straining process is complete. As a result, the used '470 patent device must be discarded and a completely new '470 patent device installed to complete the job. It would thus be an improvement in the art if the strainer bag, instead of being permanently attached, could be easily removed from the support wall and a new strainer bag easily attached to the original support wall so as to avoid having to discard the support wall whenever the strainer bag becomes clogged.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to produce a strainer assembly that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
A further object of the present invention, is to construct a strainer bag shaped such that when removably attached to a support wall of the type described the upper portion of the bag lays neat and flat against the exterior surface of the wall support thus diminishing the chances of a painter working nearby snagging the strainer bag and causing paint spillage.
Another object of the present invention, is to make a strainer device having a mesh strainer bag that is easily attachable and removable from a support wall so that the bag when clogged can be disposed of and the support wall reused with a replacement bag.
Other objects will appear as the description proceeds.